The Darkest Hour/Chapter 8
Chapter description :By the time Bramblepaw and Firestar return to camp, the light snowfall ceases with the sun casting long shadows over thin coatings of white. Both cats hold fresh-kill in their jaws, and the leader thinks back to when the apprentice had practiced his hunting skills, noting the tabby's concentration and stalking ability. As they reach the top the ravine, they hear a loud yowl, and the pair turn to see Graystripe bounding towards them. The gray warrior greets them with wide eyes, saying they've had much better luck than he had, as the tom couldn't find so much as a mouse. Firestar grunts sympathetically, and leads the way towards the gorse tunnel. :While on their way back, he notices Sorrelkit, the most adventurous of Willowpelt's kits, had left the camp and climbed halfway up the slope along the ravine. The ThunderClan leader is surprised that she is with Darkstripe, as the dark warrior had never shown any interest in kits before. Firestar watches the tom talk to his younger companion, but suddenly hears a sharp exclamation from Graystripe as he races past. The ginger leader sees Sorrelkit's legs crumple beneath her as the kit starts writhing in the snow. Graystripe attacks Darkstripe, grabbing the dark warrior by the throat. Firestar dashes down the slope, and Bramblepaw follows him. He runs to Sorrelkit's side and orders his apprentice to get Cinderpelt. Bramblepaw dashes toward camp, and Firestar tries to comfort Sorrelkit as she opens her mouth to reveal deathberries inside. :The ThunderClan leader remembers how Yellowfang killed her son with deathberries, and when Cinderpelt had stopped Cloudtail from eating the poisonous berries. Firestar tries his best to scoop them from Sorrelkit's mouth, but the young cat won't keep still. To his horror, the she-cat's spasms grow weaker, and he focuses solely on the kit. Firestar can still hear Graystripe and Darktail in the throes of their fight, but they seem oddly far away. Cinderpelt arrives and praises the leader for getting rid of the deathberries in the kit's mouth. The medicine cat gives Sorrelkit yarrow, to make her sick. Cinderpelt says that she should be fine, but still has an anxious expression. Willowpelt races from the camp's entrance, yowling for her kit. She questions if Sorrelkit will be alright, and Cinderpelt replies that the young cat ate deathberries. The medicine cat says she's gotten most of them out, and will keep the tortoiseshell in her den for the night. Willowpelt continues to lick Sorrelkit's flank, and Firestar sees that she's still breathing. The ThunderClan leader worries the poison might affect Sorrelkit further. :Firestar goes to Graystripe and Darkstripe and asks what is going on. The dark gray warrior accuses his Clanmate of feeding Sorrelkit deathberries, saying he tried to murder her. Firestar asks Darkstripe for his side of the story, and the dark warrior says he was returning to camp, and tried to stop Sorrelkit from eating the berries. However, the accused cat meows he already knows what side Firestar will be on, as Graystripe is his friend. The ThunderClan leader decides to wait until Sorrelkit wakes up to hear the truth. Darkstripe's eyes flicker in unease, and he stalks back to camp. Graystripe tells Firestar that he knows what he saw, and is quite sure the dark warrior tried to hurt Sorrelkit. The ThunderClan leader sighs, and meows that the only fair way to solve this is to see what the kit has to say. The pair watch as Cinderpelt and Willowpelt bring Sorrelkit into camp, and Firestar orders Graystripe to go with them. The ginger tom comments that he doesn't want anything to happen to the kit before she can talk, and his friend seems to understand. Graystripe bounds away, and Firestar tells Bramblepaw to fetch a squirrel from the top of the ravine. The leader meows to his apprentice that he can go rest after that, and the tom agrees. Bramblepaw asks if Sorrelkit will be okay, but Firestar admits he doesn't know. Characters Major *Sorrelkit }} Minor *Graystripe *Darkstripe *Cinderpelt *Willowpelt }} Mentioned *Sootkit (Unnamed) *Cloudtail *Yellowfang *Brokenstar *Sandstorm *Goldenflower }} Notes and references de:Stunde der Finsternis/Kapitel 8nl:Vuurproef/Hoofdstuk 8 Category:The Darkest Hour Category:The Prophecies Begin arc Category:Chapter subpages